Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

'Let Garth play': GPO protest over Brooks concert fiasco

Hope is fading that a resolution to the debacle can be found, with the parties at an apparent impasse after a compromise deal was rejected on Thursday.

[Sarah Bennett via Twitter]

AROUND 50 PEOPLE have turned out on Dublin’s O’Connell Street for a demonstration calling for Garth Brooks to be allowed play all five nights of his planned ‘comeback event’ in Croke Park.

It follows a week-and-a-half of controversy over the gigs since Dublin City Council announced last week that concerts could only go ahead on three of the five nights originally booked.

It had appeared a resolution might be reached on Thursday, but the day ended with promoters Aiken rejecting a compromise proposal from the Council, that matinee performances could also be held over the three days, allowing all ticket-holders to attend.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1 this afternoon, reporter Maura Treasa Ní Cheallaigh, who is at the protest, said those taking part “seemed to be blaming the system”.

Several fans said they should never have been sold tickets if there was a chance of the gigs not going ahead, Ní Cheallaigh said.

[image: Sinead Corcoran]

 

Brooks himself said in a statement last week that he would “go to the last second” in his efforts to try and get the five scheduled nights back.

He urged the “powers that be” in Ireland to try and find a resolution while his concert gear was still on the way over, and before ticket-holders are given refunds.

Ticketmaster is to begin automatically refunding customers from Tuesday.

First posted at 12.50pm.

Read: Now Enda is trying to get the Garth Brooks concerts back

Read: Sorry, Garth: No sign from government of a new deal to save gigs 

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
251 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dan The Man
    Favourite Dan The Man
    Report
    Jun 11th 2024, 7:27 PM

    Having an issue whatsoever with FFG will be outlawed eventually. When they are finished with the high fives and congratulating one another on being incredible, what are they doing to help the 4000 homeless children in the country? Probably just ban non government media on reporting on it.

    175
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Lewis Armstrong
    Favourite Lewis Armstrong
    Report
    Jun 11th 2024, 7:11 PM

    The opposition voices are serial objectors to housing developments; champagne socialists. If they are upset then this indicates the bill aims to make it much easier to bypass the cranks in order to get housing built. I support the guillotine consequently.

    86
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
    Favourite ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
    Report
    Jun 11th 2024, 7:29 PM

    @Lewis Armstrong: As far as I can see, those opposition you refer to object to developments that would hand our housing over to vampire funds.

    I presume therefore you are in favour of such government policy.

    123
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dan The Man
    Favourite Dan The Man
    Report
    Jun 11th 2024, 7:40 PM

    @Lewis Armstrong: what protections will be included to stop the government purposely delaying all debates and discussions to begin with so they can just guillotine anything they want.

    83
    See 3 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paddy Short
    Favourite Paddy Short
    Report
    Jun 11th 2024, 9:18 PM

    “There is a housing emergency and crisis,” said Harris. ” – the cheek of a FFG to utter that sentence!

    Is it the same bill that has had over 1,100 amendments made to it and half of those are by the Housing Minister himself.

    Is it the same bill that says an Bord Pleanala have to pay fines if they don’t complete a planning application in a set number of weeks.

    Harris says it had a 120 hours of debate and therefore meets the threshold and can be guillotined but it sounds like the 1,100 changes would have taken much of that time, maybe that was the plan all along when they obviously published shoddy policy.

    49
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Moore
    Favourite John Moore
    Report
    Jun 12th 2024, 12:08 AM

    @Lewis Armstrong: True. SFs double speak in particular crying out for more housing while blocking developments all over the place was part of what turned me off voting for them. They points score at every opportunity rather than focussing on the task at hand. It’s irritating.

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Colette Byrne
    Favourite Colette Byrne
    Report
    Jun 12th 2024, 9:49 AM

    @Lewis Armstrong: No serious objectors, we have laws in place for a reason to keep governments in check.
    Neo liberal agendas favour the rich. Opposition is there to object to bad planning. I drive a lot and see plenty of new build, mostly apartments, lying empty for months.build to rent. Is that what we want in Ireland, faceless builders, reaping profits, money going out of the country to global entities.
    Or homes, people can be proud of, not ending up ghost estates, where crime is rampant.
    Thought we had moved on from those days.

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Robert Halvey
    Favourite Robert Halvey
    Report
    Jun 12th 2024, 10:10 AM

    As a person who was involved in building thousands of homes , with in a few weeks after Nonnan and fg created the legislation to allow individuals to buy all houses and pay no social tax ,everything changing, and yet more then half the people that just voted, think that’s OK,

    16
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds